


Perchance to Dream

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 09:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1740356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Working late feeds some fantasies Arthur hadn't allowed himself to really think about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perchance to Dream

It went without question that Arthur would try to contact Ariadne for his current job; she was the best architect he had ever worked with, even with her relative inexperience. Getting her on board was easy, given how enamored she was with building mazes and dream architecture. The payout was also a bonus, since it allowed her to pay for school and all the other things that went along with her education. He was pleasantly surprised to find that she was practical and hadn't blown her entire share on a new apartment. "It would be weird to have to explain to people why I suddenly have a better place," she had told him when he brought it up over the phone. "I just socked the rest of it away. My furniture isn't falling apart, though," she had added playfully. "I could splurge _a little,_ after all."

Having the team scattered in different hotels in Prague was just good sense, even if the subject wasn't supposed to be aware of dream share. On several occasions Arthur and Ariadne wound up staying awake late into the night to discuss her mazes and different aspects of the subject's personality that might make it easier to lull him into a sense of security. The extractor only wanted to be involved at the very end to learn the final maze and all of its hiding places, much to Arthur's annoyance. That meant he had to continue his research into the subject as well as try to plan for every possible eventuality with a militarized mind.

Of course, all the extra time with Ariadne wasn't exactly a hardship.

She had a quick wit that he appreciated, and Arthur found himself unwinding more and more around her. He had been far too tense when they worked the Fischer job together, as he had been too cognizant of how much Cobb needed the job to work out. There was no other pressure than getting the subject's secrets within a militarized zone, and Arthur was far more comfortable with those work parameters. It probably said something about his personality, which Ariadne teased him about on several occasions, but the adrenaline rush couldn't be denied.

Arthur was getting ready to wind down their latest talk on a circular trap in the maze when Ariadne cracked a huge, noisy yawn. "Mind if I sleep here tonight?" she asked, stretching.

His eyes tracked her movements, and he looked away quickly, almost guilty. "Um. Yeah, sure. We can order a camp bed or something for me to sleep on…"

She snorted. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you have an extra pillow and blankets. I'll sack out on the floor. Trust me, it's comfier than some places I've slept before. The carpets are really soft and plush in here, I'll be fine."

While Arthur may have sprung for a nicer room, he still didn't like the idea of her sleeping on the floor while he slept on the bed. "I'll sleep on the floor."

Rolling her eyes, Ariadne shook her head. "I've gone backpacking and day tripping in youth hostels. This is a palace in comparison. I don't want to put you out, I just don't think I'm alert enough to keep an eye out for pickpockets and knife-wielding lunatics in the streets."

Now he felt sorry for their hotels being too far away from each other. "I'm sorry…"

"You're not one of them, nothing to be sorry about," she teased.

Arthur smiled. "Look, we can be adults about this and share the bed. I'll feel better if you're not on the floor. You might be okay with it, but it's a queen and big enough for both of us."

"Very chivalrous of you," Ariadne replied with a soft smile.

"Yeah, well, if we're both well rested, we'll get a better handle on the maze."

She shot him a wry smile, rather like the one she gave him on the Fischer job, as if she knew he was full of shit and was simply using this as an excuse to get close. Maybe it was an excuse, maybe it wasn't; Arthur was generally a dismal failure at relationships. He was too serious, too stoic, too work oriented. Most of his prior attempts at dating had resulted in awkwardness and the occasional comment being interpreted as an insult. He was far better at keeping things professional, as much as he might want more than that with Ariadne.

Somehow they got the logistics down for sleeping; it was easy to get toiletries in a hotel, and one of Arthur's shirts worked as a nightshirt for Ariadne. She looked absolutely scrumptious in one of his crisp button down shirts, the tails hanging down halfway to her knees. It made him wonder what it would be like to have this all the time, to have her walking around with his shirt on and nothing more than that…

Arthur gave himself a stern mental shake and got into bed after washing up. They were adults, this didn't have to mean anything more than just sleep. It didn't have to ruin their friendship and working relationship. This didn't have to be anything more than what it was on the surface, as much as he craved the feel of her curling around him, her head tucked onto his chest and her arm around him as they fell asleep. He stayed rigid and still as he lay there on his back, doggedly staring at the ceiling. There was no way in hell he would do anything to make Ariadne feel uncomfortable.

Ariadne shook her head at him as she started getting into bed. "That can't be comfortable."

"More than the floor," he replied stubbornly.

"Oh, seriously, Arthur," Ariadne replied in an exasperated tone as she got under the covers. She tried to get into a comfortable position, flopping about on her back, then her stomach, then her sides. A few times she banged into Arthur; the bed was large, but she was a sprawler and was trying to curl up around one pillow while lying on another one. Arthur remained stiff as a board, hands flat on the bed beside him. "This isn't going to work."

"I know," he said, an almost mournful note to his voice. "But—"

"I promise I won't take advantage of you," she told him cheekily.

Before he could ask her what she meant, Ariadne moved his arm up and burrowed into his side, tucking her head onto his chest. She let out a happy sigh as she curled her right arm up beneath her torso between their bodies and let her left arm drape across his chest. "Oh," he murmured, his breath leaving his lungs in a pleased sigh. Ariadne let out a soft huff of laughter indicating her amusement with the arrangement. "Sweet dreams," he told her softly.

"You too," she murmured, even though she knew he didn't dream naturally anymore.

But this had been one of those things that he had hoped for, even if he couldn't dream of it. Arthur looped his arm around Ariadne's shoulders, holding her close.

As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered if perhaps this time he would dream. If he did, he knew it would be about Ariadne.

The End


End file.
